DAYTON, Ohio — An Ohio county is taking a trauma-informed approach to its work on preventing marijuana use in teens.
As marijuana policy changes were enacted in Ohio over the last few years, families in Montgomery County grew concerned about the impact it would have on teenagers’ perceived risk of substance use.
In response, the county’s Alcohol Drug Addiction Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), provides prevention programming in all of its 16 public-school districts, as well as parochial and charter schools.
Tristyn Ball, director of prevention and early intervention services for Montgomery County ADAMHS, said it is important to get at the root cause of drug use.
“What we’ve shifted to is an approach that, rather than using punitive measures, really moving towards, if a young person is using, really identifying why are they using marijuana?” Ball explained. “And what can we do to give them the skills that they need to perhaps make healthier decisions?”
ADAMHS has partnered with Dayton Children’s Hospital and its student resiliency coordinators, who work directly with young people who have endured trauma.
Local county data show that around 15% of young people have tried marijuana, which has decreased over the last few years. Many that do use are starting as young as 13 years old, which can have an impact on brain development.
Medical marijuana was legalized in Ohio in 2016. Many studies show that medicinal cannabis can be helpful for adults in treating chronic pain, as well as effects from certain diseases. Ball pointed out their prevention work is not about stigmatizing medical marijuana use, but about understanding the impact substances can have on teenagers.
“Medicine is medicine, you know, it’s prescribed by a doctor,” Ball emphasized. “When we look at opioids, or really any kind of controlled substance, we trust medical professionals to prescribe that. It’s just about making sure that overall our goal is just the health and wellness of a young person.”
Over the past year, Ball noted ADAMHS has screened more than 1,000 students in the county for behavioral-health indicators, including depression, anxiety and substance use.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennesseans paused to remember International Overdose Awareness Day today, as the state reported increased numbers of overdose deaths.
Anthony Jackson, director of prevention and early intervention for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, said the pandemic worsened conditions that fueled the increase in overdose deaths, such as disconnection from recovery resources and increased stress and anxiety.
“COVID’s created a situation where maybe they’ve been isolated a little more than they would have been otherwise,” Jackson explained. “Maybe there’s been some economic difficulties or economic anxieties that may have triggered a relapse of some sort.”
Preliminary numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate more than 3,000 Tennesseans died from a drug overdose in 2020.
Community groups across the state are holding memorials, trainings and awareness events to remember the lives lost, celebrate the survivors of overdose, and educate residents on the tools to prevent overdoses.
Jackson noted since the overdose prevention program began in late 2017, regional overdose prevention specialists have saved more than 26,000 lives through overdose reversal.
“You may not know who’s impacted by this,” Jackson observed. “You may not think you need to be trained, but you do. Because you need to understand this could impact anyone.”
According to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health, the state’s regional overdose prevention specialists have distributed more than 71,000 naloxone kits and recorded more than 11,000 opioid overdose reversals over the past year.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – With new teachers, classmates and expectations, back to school is full of uncertainties and anxieties. Stressful transitions increase chances that a teen will turn to drugs or alcohol to cope.
Geena Crosby – prevention coordinator for youth and young adult services with the Prevention Action Alliance – said there are many ways to support teens during these times, starting with listening.
She said that means allowing their feelings and concerns to be heard, and not trying to fix the problem. And where possible, allow them to voice their own opinions and make decisions.
“Young people want to feel trusted and they want to feel like they have some autonomy over their choices and what they do,” said Crosby. “And I think if we can have those open and honest conversations that’s going to be the best option.”
While it’s easy to loosen discipline during trying times, Crosby said rules and boundaries actually build trust. She also noted that maintaining daily routines and ensuring everyone is eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep can help keep the family strong.
Parents also tend to feel anxieties and pressures at the start of the school year, however Crosby said those concerns should not be projected onto kids.
“There may be things that they’re not even worrying about,” said Crosby. “And you talking about your worries is only going to increase their worry on top of everything they’re already concerned with.”
Crosby recommended staying connected to the teachers, coaches and other adults at school, and asking for help and support when needed.
“If you’re worrying about your student and how they’re doing,” said Crosby, “then seeking out professional help whether it’s within the school or outside of the school, to maybe help your student navigate some of those challenges or help you navigate some of those challenges with your student is going to be really important.”
According to the federal Monitoring the Future Survey from June, despite declines in availability, alcohol and marijuana use among eighth-, tenth- and 12th-grade students did not change significantly during the pandemic.
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BALTIMORE – The Maryland Stop Opioid Overdose Strategy, or Maryland S-O-S program, launches town hall meetings this week to address ways to combat the health crisis that has skyrocketed during the pandemic.
Starting in Allegheny County on Thursday, the meetings are a chance for Marylanders to talk about their struggles and hear methods for helping opioid users, according to Robin Rickard, director of Maryland’s Opioid Operational Command Center.
She said officials were encouraged when the state’s opioid deaths dropped in 2019 for the first time in years. But they’re now taking a more aggressive approach.
“Right when the numbers started going down, COVID hit,” said Rickard. “So last year, Maryland went up 18%, as a nation 30%. Maryland did do better than the national average – but again, we’re not happy with that.”
She said the town halls are a chance to hear about what works and what isn’t working following the worst year on record for overdose deaths.
Thursday’s meeting at Allegheny College in Cumberland starts at 5 o’clock. More information is online at ‘BeforeItsTooLate.maryland.gov,’ or on the Maryland S-O-S Facebook page.
Rickard said she thinks it’s important to realize opioid abuse isn’t just a rural problem in Maryland.
“Fentanyl is what the driving force is, and it’s everywhere,” said Rickard. “And at these Maryland town hall meetings, we will be educating the public and the community of what the statistics are in their jurisdiction, as compared to other jurisdictions.”
She pointed out the S-O-S initiative also aims to educate people about the state’s Opioid Restitution Fund. Created in 2019 by the General Assembly, it includes money from opioid manufacturers’ lawsuit settlements for treatment and recovery services.
“We’re not spending any of this money until we hear from all the Marylanders,” said Rickard, “from treatment providers, from state and local partners, because we want to make the best decisions that we possibly can.”
A record-breaking 2,500 Marylanders died of opioid overdoses in 2020.
The numbers continue to rise – from January to March of this year, 614 residents died of opioid abuse. That’s almost a 6% increase from the same time last year.
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